That sounds like Reaser, who doesn’t try for the spotlight. Another thing she won’t do: give an opinion if she doesn’t have one or know enough about the subject.

Reporters found that out in 1994, after the Northridge earthquake. They called Reaser within 15 minutes of the quake for an estimate of the damage.

“It was hard to come up with,” Reaser said. “There was that demand for an immediate number. I said I can’t give you a hard number.”

Richard Bregman, San Diego Market President for Bank of America, who used to consult Reaser when she worked for the bank, said he considers her highly knowledgeable. “She stands out in her opinions and the content behind her opinions” he said.

A lot of those opinions involve banks. Reaser doesn’t consider herself a defender of banks despite her work in the industry.

“I believe there is still a big problem that we have banks that are too big to fail,” she said. “Banks need to be accountable for their own actions, so that shareholders and debt holders and bank officers are held responsible for actions, as opposed to taxpayers.”

Lynn Reaser

Lynn Reaser

Job: Chief economist, Point Loma Nazarene University

Residence: Point Loma

Hometown: Los Angeles

Family: One brother

Education: Bachelor’s degree and doctorate in economics from University of California Los Angeles

Pick for next Federal Reserve Chair: Janet Yellen

Hobbies: Cyclist, tennis player and swimmer. The hobbies — like a 100-mile bike ride to Ocotillo one recent winter — get her mind off economics. Was she thinking about the unemployment rate while pedaling on the road? No, she said, “I’m thinking about how hard that seat is.”

On being a female economist:

A 2011 report from the San Francisco Federal Reserve and Tel Aviv University found that 30 percent of new doctorates in economics go to women. Lynn Reaser said she doesn’t really think about the ratio, but notes that she’s always been willing to work hard. “People should be nominated on their own standing, and I think women can compete on their own feet,” Reaser said.